The boiled chicken foot

I think I accidentally ate one of these yesterday :/

I was eating dinner with my coworkers, and it was family style where they bring lots of dishes to the table and you all just dig in. They brought out a plate of chicken and it was boiled and still in the shape of a chicken...like they just plucked and boiled the chicken whole and then took a carving knife to it and sliced it into layers, or like the chicken mistakenly jumped into a pot of boiling water and then jumped out and accidentally ran through a slicer and landed neatly on a plate. He was having a bad day.

Anyway, everyone dove in, chopsticks first, and before I knew it I was chewing on something very rubbery and not so pleasant. I felt that people were looking at me (even though it was probably just in my head) so I gave it a few more good chews like a good sport, trying not to think about what it was I was chewing up, and trying desperately to find my happy place. Then I slyly spat it out onto my plate, and it sure did look like a mangled chicken foot. When I moved to China I made myself a promise that I would never eat one. And I think I broke my promise, and when I recall the experience of the foot in my mouth, this is the only face I can make...

:/